


White Christmas

by OhDearLoki



Category: British Actor RPF
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Christmas Shopping, Christmas Special, F/M, Falling In Love, Love, Love Confessions, Santa's Elves, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:13:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27835837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhDearLoki/pseuds/OhDearLoki
Summary: Christmas is a time for second chances.Paige wants to shine into the world of theatre, but since leaving school she has been doing one job after another. This year, she’s Santa’s elf at the mall.Tom’s career is booming but he’s unwittingly drifting away from his family. After a series of one-night stands, he wants to find a little warmth with his family.Christmas is a time for second chances, and who knows, maybe this Christmas will bring them a little happiness?
Relationships: Tom Hiddleston/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 10





	1. A christmas wish

A winter wind is blowing over London. 

A wind of hope. 

As snow falls heavily on the city, passers-by wrap themselves in their scarves and coats to escape the cold. Christmas decorations amaze tourists and children alike. Paige, on the other hand, did not have time to admire them.   
Rushing out of her house with an apple in her teeth and her hands trying to find the sleeves of her coat, the young woman started running down the street towards her bus stop. As she ran, she readjusted her bag on her back, took a bite of her apple and avoided two people in her path. Finally, she arrived just as the bus was closing its doors. She skidded on the ground, almost falling off, and knocked hard and fast on the glass doors. 

The driver looked up to the sky when he saw her but opened the doors anyway, letting her in. 

“One day I will leave without you.” He said that Paige was looking for her bus pass in her pockets as she held her apple between her teeth. 

After a minute she found it and passed it in front of the scanner. 

“You’re too nice for that,” she replied, her mouth full of apple. 

He gave her an amused smile before telling her to sit down. Paige fell heavily into her seat and watched the London landscape unfold before her eyes. She finished her apple quickly and looked at her watch. Ten minutes late and that was without counting the slowdowns because of the snow… A grimace appeared on Paige’s face. It wasn’t the first time she’d been late for work and her boss wouldn’t mind pointing it out to her. But Paige had spent all night rehearsing this play and missed her alarm clock this morning. 

The young woman watched the snowfall and felt a sense of calm overwhelming her. She had always loved the holiday season, but this time she couldn’t enjoy it. Her job was only temporary and although she didn’t like it, she needed it very much to make ends meet and her dream didn’t seem to be coming true, no matter how much time and effort she invested in it. 

The bus stopped and Paige was out of her mind. She got up abruptly and pushed one or two people around trying to get out first. She quickly apologized and resumed her run through Westfield Mall. As she ran, she slalomed between the customers, asking them to let her pass. She didn’t stop until she got to a stage. 

A new grimace appeared on her face when she saw her boss waiting for her with firm feet in front of the stage. She would have liked to escape the sermon first thing in the morning. 

She didn’t have time to open her mouth to try to explain herself. The man in front of her threw a suit in her arms and pointed threateningly at her. 

“It’s the third time in two weeks”. he grunted. “There won’t be another one. Got it?” 

Paige nodded obediently and moved to the back of the stage. On the way, she passed a small hot chocolate stand. The young mixed-race woman holding it offered her a compassionate smile. 

“What was it this time? Wake-up call?” she asked, restraining herself from laughing. 

“I rehearsed all night, Billie,” Paige replied with a sigh. 

Billie gave her another compassionate smile. Friends for over a year, the two young women seemed to understand each other better than anyone else. And Billie knew that theatre was Paige’s greatest passion, even though she hadn’t been able to integrate it into her world since leaving school. 

“Did you at least have lunch?” she asked. “You want chocolate, it’s on the house.” 

Paige would have loved to accept this tempting offer, but laughter caught her attention. She saw a line of children forming in front of the stage. 

“I’m sorry, but Santa’s elf has to greet the children…“ she sighed before disappearing behind the stage to put on her elf costume. 

A winter wind is blowing over London. 

A wind that shook the plane in which Tom Hiddleston was in, suddenly bringing him out of his sleep. A little haggard, he blinked before he remembered where he was. He leaned over to the window of the plane and looked at the view of snowy London with a smile on his face. Tom was finally home. 

After a long trip to America for the filming of the latest Marvel, followed by long ceremonies, red carpets and interviews, Tom finally had a chance to go home. And just in time for the Christmas holidays. He couldn’t remember the last one he spent at home. 

Being an actor has always been his greatest dream, more than a great passion. But he hadn’t considered the fact that it meant constantly travelling. Although he was happy to see the country and meet new people, Tom was a patriot and loved his beloved England. More than that, he loved his family, whom he hadn’t seen in over a year. 

After picking up all of his belongings, Tom waited for airport security to pass through the crowd of paparazzi waiting for him. After a few polite signs and tight smiles, he managed to reach a private area where he could finally relax and leave his celebrity behind. 

“Uncle Tom!” Someone shouted. 

The actor barely had time to see a small blond head running towards him before he was attacked by a huge hug. He laughed and looked at his nephew, stroking his hair tenderly. 

“Oliver, how you’ve grown!” he exclaimed, taking him in his arms. 

“I’m eight years old now!” said the little boy proudly. 

“I can see that you’re a man now,” Tom replied. 

“Hello, big brother.” 

Tom put the boy down on the ground and hugged his sister emotionally. It had been so long since he had seen her. 

“Hello, Emma,” he whispered in her hair. “I’ve missed you”. 

“We missed you too.” 

Tom took his nephew’s hand and walked towards the exit. He had a big smile on his face, happy to see his family again. He had missed so much, so many birthdays, so many parties, so many important moments. He wanted to make up for the lost time. 

“Did you like our surprise, Uncle Tom?” 

“I loved it, thank you for coming to get me.” 

“We’re happy to have you with us for Christmas,” explained Emma, sending her a smile. 

“I’m happy too.” 

Putting an arm around her sister’s shoulders, they walked to the car and went home. Tom had a feeling that this year Christmas would be magical.


	2. First glance

As soon as he opened the door, he felt at home. The familiar hallway of his parents’ old house, the smell of cake coming from the kitchen… 

His nephew ran between his legs and rushed to the kitchen. 

“Tom’s home!” he shouted. 

The actor didn’t have time to close the door and put down his luggage that his parents were already appearing in the hallway, arms open, ready to wrap him in a group hug. He finally felt at home. 

“Oh, Tom, look at you!” His mother cried out. “You’re so skinny, do they even feed you there?” 

“Yes, Mom.” Tom replied, laughing slightly. 

“Hello, my son, welcome home.” His father welcomed, putting a firm hand on his shoulder. 

“Thank you. I’m glad I’m home.” 

He followed his parents into the living room where they had prepared a cup of tea just for him, accompanied by cakes still warm from the oven of his mother. His nephew jumped on the couch and stood next to his uncle. 

“Uncle Tom, how was the latest Avengers movie?” he asked excitedly. 

Tom and the rest of the family couldn’t help but laugh at his excitement. 

“It was great!” Tom exclaimed. “There were all the superheroes together.” 

“Thor too?”

“Of course he was.” 

“Whoa, when are you going to tell me everything that happened?” 

“Oliver.” Nicely reprimanded Emma. “Leave your uncle alone. He’s just had a long trip, he’s tired. You’ll talk about all this later.” 

The young boy pout a little. Tom laughed, tousled his hair a little and promised he would tell him all about it later. Happy, Oliver got up and went to play in his room. 

As soon as his nephew left the room, Tom lost his smile a little. His family noticed it almost immediately. 

“What’s wrong, son?” His worried father asked. 

“Nothing, it’s just… I’ve been doing movies and world tours…” Tom replied, putting his cup on the coffee table. “I’m tired. And I’ve missed home so much.” 

His mother and father exchanged a look, touched and sad at the same time. 

“You know we’ll always be here, waiting for you, Tom.” His mother replied. 

“Yes, I know, Mom. But I don’t want to go away for so long. I’ve missed too many birthdays and parties. I haven’t even seen Oliver grow up! I’m going to try to slow down and spend more time with my family.” 

“MUMMY!” Oliver shouted from the top of the stairs. “WHEN ARE WE GOING TO THE MALL?”

Everyone burst out laughing. Emma rolled her eyes with a tender smile before getting up. 

“Get dressed, we’re going now!” she replied. 

Everyone heard the “Yeah! "of pure excitement from the young boy. Emma grabbed her coat and scarf before putting on her boots. Then she turned to Tom. 

“I’m missing a few things for Christmas dinner and Oliver insists on coming to see the decorations. Do you want to come with us?” 

Oliver was coming down the stairs at that moment, already wrapped up in his coat, hat and scarf. 

“Oh yes, please! Please say yes! Say yes!” he exclaimed, leaping to the spot. 

“How can I refuse?” Tom replied with a big smile, provoking his nephew’s joy. 

At the mall, the children lined up to meet Santa Clause. Paige was in the middle of a false snow scene, dressed in red and green tights and a thin dress that couldn’t stop the cold. She was completely frozen, but she had to keep smiling and continue to play the role of Santa’s elf. She liked to see the smiles on the children’s faces, she liked to play with them while they waited patiently, but despite the good mood she brought them, she couldn’t help thinking that she was wasting her time and talent. She could do so much better, she dreamed of acting in big plays, but found herself playing elf in malls. Without that, she couldn’t pay the rent. 

She shivered again and tried to pull down her dress, which seemed much too short, before returning to the children. 

The lights and decorations brought a smile to Tom’s face as he entered the mall. Oliver was all excited and pointing his fingers in all directions, wanting to show all the windows to his mother and uncle. 

When he arrived at center of the mall, the boy saw the scene and Santa. He couldn’t contain himself, so he jumped on the spot and pulled his mother’s hand hard. 

“Mummy, Mummy, Mummy! Look! There’s Santa! Can I go and see him? Can I go see him? Please?” 

Emma watched the scene with as man dressed as Santa Claus took the children on his lap and as woman dressed as an elf regulated the queue. The line was long… and Emma still had a lot of shopping to do. But how could she resist her son’s pout? Tom saw her dilemma and laughed. 

“Your mom has to go shopping, but if you want, I’ll go with you.” he says. 

“You will?” Oliver asked, happy. 

“If your mummy is okay with it?” 

“I don’t have a problem with that.” Emma said with a shrug. “But don’t hang around too much, I’ll need you to carry the bags.” 

“Great!” 

Before Tom could react, Oliver was already running towards the stage. He caught up with him quickly and got into the queue. They were moving slowly and Tom was getting bored. He had seen all the decorations around him and decided to look at his cousin. He seemed impatient and didn’t take his eyes off Santa, which amused him. 

“Who is ready to see Santa?” Paige asked, ringing a carillon. 

All the children began to say ‘Me!’ in chorus. Tom looked at the young woman as she accompanied the next child to see Santa. The little girl couldn’t have been more than 4 years old and when she saw the man in red, she got scared.

The elf knelt down in front of the little girl and gave her a big smile. Tom couldn’t hear what she was saying from that distance but her smile was radiant. She must have had a gift with children because seconds later the little girl was on Santa’s lap, laughing. 

As the line went on and Tom got closer, he watched the young woman. She was quite beautiful, but he noticed that her smile wasn’t sincere. At first he thought that she didn’t like children, but that didn’t fit with the way she had been behaving with the little girl. On closer observation he noticed that she was uncomfortable. She kept trying to pull her dress down and shivering. 

As they finally arrived in front of her, ready to meet Santa Claus, a man came out from behind the scenes and walked towards Paige. He suddenly grabbed her by the arm. 

“Paige, what the hell are you doing? Work faster! Look at her kids waiting. Their parents won’t be here forever. And time is money. So hurry up!” 

She nodded her head, displeased and waited for him to disappear backstage again to stick out her tongue. It wasn’t very mature, but it was a great relief to her. Then she found her smile again and went to open the gate that marked the line. 

“It’s not a very convenient boss.” Tom remarked, watching her open the barrier. 

She tried to hold back a sarcastic laugh. 

“No, that’s an understatement.” 

She looked up at the man who had just spoken to her and froze on the spot, her mouth wide open in shock. She stammered for a moment, not believe that there was the actor Tom Hiddleston in front of her. 

To say that he was used to this kind of reaction sounded a little too pretentious, but Tom met a lot of fans on his travels. He was always amused by their reaction. He gave her a smile. 

“Can we go now?” Oliver asked, not noticing at all what was going on between the adults. 

Paige came out of her daydream and nodded her head, letting them pass. 

“Oh, uh, yes sorry.” She laughed, embarrassed. 

Tom gave her another smile that made her heart to dance the samba. Then she stood down to Oliver’s level. 

“So, what’s your name?” 

“Oliver!” he answered proudly. 

“Good, Oliver. I’m going to take you to see Santa, are you excited?” 

The young man nodded his head and took Paige’s hand. Tom watched them go off to see Santa. When he was settled, Paige came back to him. 

“He’s a nice boy.” She remarked with a smile. 

“Yes, bright and intelligent, just like his mother.” 

“Oh, uh, I didn’t know that…” she hesitated. 

“Oh!” Tom exclaimed when he understood what she was thinking. “No, he’s my nephew. My sister’s gone shopping so I’m keeping him.” 

“Oh! Okay.” She smiled. “That’s nice of you.” 

The conversation could have ended there, but Tom asked her if she had children and a discussion began. There was something going on between them, the conversation was easy and he kept making her smile. Unfortunately, Oliver finished talking with Santa and they had to leave. Oliver turned around to wave and Paige responded with a big smile. Tom turned around and sent her a smile that melted her heart. 

She stayed dreaming for a while until her friend Billie came next to her. 

“Oh, my. God!” she exclaimed loudly, startling Paige. “It was Tom Hiddleston!” 

“I know!” Paige screamed, just as excited. 

“And you were saying you’re life was miserable… I’m so jealous of you right now.” 

Billie offered her a cup of hot chocolate before she left. Paige smiled, took a sip of the best chocolate she had ever tasted before returning to work. But always with Tom’s smile in mind.


	3. Personal Problems

Paige could finally breathe when the voice in the speakers announced the closing of the mall. People were hurrying to finish their shopping and go home. It was at this point that the young woman could stop acting, wipe her frozen smile off her face and slowly tidy up the stage. 

When her boss gave her permission, she could go and change and remove her make-up. The end of the day was perhaps one of her favourite moments. She could finally take off that embarrassing dress and forget about rude parents, rude children and her rude boss. Ready to leave, she waited for Billie to close her hot cocoa stand before they made their way to the bus stop. 

The driver had turned on the heat, which Paige appreciated. She sat by the window and watched the snow-covered city pass before her eyes, her mind elsewhere. Billie talked to her about her day, telling her about her thrilling misadventure with one of her customers who didn't speak a word of English, but she soon realized that her friend wasn't listening. 

She called her name several times but Paige seemed to be in a trance, lost in her own little world. A smile crept across Billie's lips as she hit her shoulder with Paige's shoulder, pulling her out of her mind. 

“Are you thinking of the handsome Tom Hiddleston?” She asked in confidence. 

Paige smiled, amused by her best friend's childishness. It's true that her meeting with the actor had troubled her and occupied her thoughts for most of the day. But tonight, she was thinking about something else entirely. 

“I'm worried about the audition.” She admits. 

Billie's mischievous smile faded to make way for a compassionate look. 

“It's the fifth one I've had in a short time. And I've been turned down every time. I don't know what I'm doing wrong...” 

“I'm sure you'll get it this time. You work hard, and you're good at it. They're going to realize that you're the best for the role.” 

“I don't know... Maybe I should just give up.” Paige sighed. 

“Give up your dream? No way.” 

“Yeah... In the meantime, if I don't get the part, I'll have to look for a second job.”

Paige hesitated before continuing, but she knew she could trust Billie not to judge her. 

“I can't pay my bills anymore. If I don't make a quick buck in the theatre world, I can kiss my flat goodbye. I'd be out on the street.” 

Billie took Paige's hand in hers, sad to hear that. 

“Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was that bad.” 

Paige had already told her that financially it was hard for her, but she hadn't imagined it would be this bad. She wanted to help her but Billie was barely scraping by too. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. 

“I can't lend you money, but if you ever need me, the door to my flat will always be open for you. We stick together no matter what.” 

“Thank you, Billie.” 

Paige smiled sadly and put her head on Billie's shoulder, watched the landscape pass by and night fell on the city. She hoped she could get out of this mess. 

Tonight Tom was invited to his parents' house for dinner. He could experience the atmosphere of his childhood as they all sat around the dining room table, with a steaming, delicious-looking dish in the middle of the plates. 

Discussions were lively, animated and laughter was the order of the day. Tom was happy to finally feel at home. 

As they waited for dessert, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Reluctantly he looked at who was calling him at this late hour and made a face when he saw the name of his agent appear on the screen. He sighed, apologised and left the table to answer. 

“Hello?” 

“ _ **Hello, Tom! How are you, my friend?**_ ” His agent exclaimed on the other end of the phone. 

“Fine, thank you, I'm having dinner with my parents.” Tom replied, hoping it would cut the conversation short. 

_**“Ah great! Enjoy! Say, I've got great news for you. I may have just find you a new role as the main character in a new Blockbuster!**_ ” 

His agent kept talking, explaining what the film was about and what the director's expectations were, but Tom wasn't listening any more. A few years ago, when he was only acting in plays, he would have been happy to hear the news. Now it made him uncomfortable. He liked to film but everything was going too fast. He needed to be given a break. He had only just arrived in London, to see his parents again. He couldn't leave. 

“Georges.” Tom interrupted. “It's very nice of you to think of me and I'm honored. But I can't. Not this time.” 

_**“What? But why? This is the chance of a lifetime!**_ ” His agent became indignant. 

“There will be more. Since Marvel, my career has taken off and I'm happy about that, but I also need to rest. I know you're just doing your job, but I've been making a series of productions lately. I need to take a breather and enjoy my family.” 

There was a silence on the phone and Tom feared he had offended his agent. 

_**“Okay, I understand...**_ ” he finally sighed. “ _ **You're right. I got a bit carried away but if you need some time before you come back to the front of the stage, then I understand.**_ ” 

“Thank you, Georges. Happy Holidays.” 

“You too, Tom.” 

When he hung up, Tom closed his eyes and sighed. Part of him was relieved that it had gone so well, but another part of him felt guilty. 

“You did the right thing.” 

Tom jumped at the sound of his sister's voice and turned around. She was standing against the doorframe with her arms folded across her chest and a compassionate look on her face. 

“Do you think so?” he asked. 

“Family is always the right choice.” she said. 

He smiled at her and went to hug her for a moment, before he went back to the table to eat dessert. Tom knew his sister was right, as always. He would make this the best Christmas he'd ever had.


End file.
